Reversible clutch device.



E. R. PAGKER.

' REVERSIBLE GLUTGH DEVICE.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNI; s, 1912.

1,087,316, Patented Feb. 17,1914.

coLuMxA PLAN oooooooooooooooooooooooo c.

y Fig. 2

' UNITED VSTATES PATENT FFIQE,

EBEN RAY PACKER, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

' Ynnvnnsiistn CLUTCH nnvrcn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 17, 15H4.

Application led June 3, 1912. y Serial No. 701,140.

ment in Reversible Clutch Devices, and declaro the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skillediny the Vart Vto which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which .form a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object to produce a simple and novel clutch device which will permit two members to be rot-ated together in either direction or be'rotated relative to each other.

A further object of my inventio-n is to produce a tool composed of a few simple parts, compactly arranged, which may be rotated step by step in'either direction.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its object and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a longitudinal central section through a wrench arranged in accordance with a preferred form of my invention; is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. l; and Fig. 4L is a side elevation of a fragment of the wrench.

In the drawings I have illustrated my invention only as applied to a wrench and I shall, for the sake of brevity, confine the detailed description to this particular use of my invention; but I desire to have it understood that my invention is not limited in its use to wrenches or even to what is commonly known as tools, since it is applicable in many situations where it is desirable to connect together a driving member and a driven member so that a rotary movement in either direction may be produced in one member by an oscillatory movement of the other member, or where it is desired to clutch the two members together for movement in one direction and leave them free for independent movement in the opposite directio Y i Referring to the drawing, l represents a tubular driving member into which extends a driven member 2, the driven member being preferably lcylindrical and fitting within the driving member so as to be free to rotate therein. The members l and 2 are preferably connected together so as to hold them against relative axial movements. lIhis may conveniently be accomplished by providing the drivingmember with an annular internal groove 3 into which extends a radially yieldable pin 4 carried by the inner member. A small opening, 5, leading from the bottom of the groove l3 to the exterior of driving member, permits the pin to be depressed by inserting a small rod through the lopening when it registers with the pin.

The driving member, in the case of a wrench o-r other tool, may be provided with a handle 6 for turning the saine; and the driven member may be provided with a suitable shank 7 which serves as the tool or as the holder for a tool. rIhe member 2 has portions cut away o-n one side so as to form a pocket 8 at a point within the driving member. In the pocket I mount an oscillatory clutching member 9, whose axis of oscillation lies parallel with and at one side of the axis of rotation of the driving member, and which serves to clutch the driving member and the driven member together under certain conditions.

rIhe member 9 has two clutching portions, 10 and l1, lying on opposite sides of the axis, the parts being so proportioned that when either clutching portion is in engagement with the driving member-the other clutching portion lies clear of the driving member. When either clutching portion is in engagement with the driving member, a rotation of the driving member in one direction tends to swing the clutch member around so as to carry thatV clutching portion farther away from the axis of the driving member, whilev a rotation of the driving member in the opposite direction tends to swing the clutching member back out of the way; thus clutching the driving member to the driven member upon a rotation in one direction and permitting free relative movement in the opposite direction.

axis ofV oscillation, provision is made for turning the driven member step by step in either direction by controlling the clutching member so that it may be shifted from Since theV 'parts l0'and l1 lie on opposite sides of the one working 'position to the other. This l accomplish by providing the driven member with a radially-yieldable stop lying on the underside of the clutch member and adapted to hold the clutch member either in a neutral position or in one of itsV working positions. This stop may conveniently consist of a plug or plunger 12 slidably mounted in a socket 18 extending into the driven member through the bottom of the pocket, the plug or plunger being pressed outwardly beyond the plane of the bottom of the pocket by means of a spring 14 lying beneath it in the socket. The outer end of the plug or plunger is preferably tapered or rounded. The parts are so proportioned that normally the plunger is forced out far enough to cause it to engage with the clutch member 9 and press it toward one or tl e other of its working positions with sufficient force to hold it against rattling. When the driving member is moved backward, it slips over the clutching member, the plunger yielding sufficiently to prevent binding between the clutching member and the driving member but not enough to permit the clutching member to pass beyond the same. Consequently, when the parts are in the positions indicated in Fig. 2, the driven member may be rotated step by step in the counter-clockwise direction through an oscillatory movement of the driving member, without fear that the clutching member will shift over into its other working position in any angular position of the tool. When it is desired to shift the clutching member into its other working position it is only necessary to swing it backward with suiiicient force to cause the plunger or plug to be depressed far enough to leave room above it for the passage of the bottom part of the clutching member. Then, as soon as the clutching member has passed to the other side, the part 10 being in engagement with the driving member and the part 11 clear of the driving member, the plunger springs out and yieldingly locks it in its new position. For the purpose of shifting the clutching member from one position to another, i have mounted on the driven member a ring 15 which lies just in front of the driving member and, as far as external appearances are concerned, forms a continuation of the latter. The ring is loose on the driven member so that it may be turned freely thereon. A suitable connection is provided between the ring and the clutching member for permitting the latter to be shifted by means of an angular movement of the ring on the driven member. 1n the arrangement shown, the clutching member is mounted on a shaft, 16, journaled in the driven member' and extending into proximity to the ring. @n the end of the shaft adjacent to the ring is a radial finger 17 within an opening, 18, in the driven member and rests in a notch, 19, in one face of the ring. The angular width or length of the opening 18 is great enough to allow the ring to turn far enough to carry the clutching member from one eXtreme position to the other. When the linger lies in the middle of the opening 18, as indicated in Fig. 8, the clutching member is in its vertical position, holding the plunger depressed, as indicated in Fig. 1. When the linger is at either end of the opening 18, the clutching member is in one of its working positions, that indicated in Fig. 3 or the other. It will be seen that by turning the ring in one direction or the other, relative to the driven member, the clutching member will be forced against the spring plunger so as to depress the latter and permit the clutching member to pass from either working position into the neutral position and then into the other working position. This shifting of the clutching member may be accomplished either by turning the ring itself or by turning the driving member and placing a finger upon the ring so as to cause the ring to travel with the driving member.

If desired, the clutching member may be provided with a nose, 20, on its under side to insure perfect cooperation between the clutching member and the plunger, the nose being the part of the clutching member which engages with the plunger, lying upon one side or the other or on top thereof to 100 maintain the clutching member in either working position or in its neutral position.

The interior of the driving member may be left smooth, if desired, but 1 prefer to provide a series of longitudinal grooves 21 105 distributed about the same so as to provide seats which give the roller a firmer hold.

lt will of course be understood that the member which I have called a driving' meir- 110 ber may be the driven member and that the member referred to as a driven member may be the driving member.

Vhile 1 have illustrated only a single preferred form of my invention as applied to 115 a tool and have described them with considerable particularity, l do not desire to limit myself to specific structural details thus illustrated or to a device intended for only use as a tool; but intend to cover all forms 120 and arrangements which fall within the terms employed in the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

1 claim:

1. 1n combination, a tubular driving 125 member, a driven member extending into and revoluble in the driving member, said driven member being cut away to form with the overlying part of the driving member a chamber, an oscillatory dog lying in said 130 chamber and movable between two positions in one of which a driving connection between said members is effected for rotation in one direction while in the other position a driving connection is effected between said members for rotation in the opposite direction, a yieldable barrier carried by the driven member` in position to hold said oscillatory element yieldingly in each of its positions, and means carried by one of said members for forcing said oscillatory element past said barrier.

2. In combination, a tubular driving member, a driven member extending into and revoluble in the driving member, said driven member having portions cut away to form with the overlying part of the driving member a chamber, an oscillatory dog lying within said chamber and having two positions in one of which a driving connection between said members for rotation in one direction is effected while in the other position a driving connection between said members for rotation in the opposite direction is edected, a ring surrounding and movable angularly on the driven member, and a connection between said ring and said dog for causing the dog to be shifted from one position to the other when the ringis turned.

3. In combination, a tubular driving member, a driven member extending into and revoluble in the driving member, said members having a chamber formed between them, an oscillatory clutch dog lying within said chamber, a ring mounted on the driven member so as to be movable angularly thereon, and a connection between said ring and said do-g.

4. In combination, a tubular driving member, a driven member extending into and revoluble in said driving member, said members having a chamber formed between them, an oscillatory clutch dog lying in said chamber, a ring surrounding and movable angularly on the driven member, a supporting shaft for said dog journaled in the driven member, and means between the shaft and the ring for oscillating the shaft.

5. In combination, a drivingV member and a driven member telescoped upon each other, one member being cut away to form a chamber between said members, an oscillatory clutch device arranged in said chamber and having two working positions, an actuating ring for said clutch device surrounding the driven member, and a positive connection between said ring and said clutch device for shifting the latter from one position to the other when the actuating ring is moved.

6. In combination, a driving member and a driven member telescoped upon each other, said members having a chamber between them, a shaft journaled in the driven member and having one end progectmg into,

said chamber, an oscillatory clutch dog fixed dog lying in said chamber, an actuating ring Y surrounding and movable'angularly on the driven member beyond one end of the driv-V ing member, means for holding said ring against movement longitudinally of the driven member, and an operating connection between said ring and said dog.

8. In combination, a driving member and a driven member telescoped upon each other, one member being cut away to form a chamber between said members, an oscillating clutch device arranged in said chamber and having two Working positions, a ring mounted on the mutilated member so as to have a limited'angular movement thereon and be held against axial movements, and means associated with said ring for oscillating said clutch device from either working position to the other.

9. In combination, a driving member and a driven member telescoped upon each other, one of said members having a portion cut away to form a chamber between said members, an oscillatory clutch dog lying in said chamber, a ring mounted on the mutilated member in proximity to the adjacent end of the other member so as to have a limited angular movement and be held against axial movement, and means associated with said ring for oscillating said dog from either of its working positions to the other.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

EBEN RAY PACKER.

Witnesses:

Gr. A. JOHNSON, M. E. RrErsTAHL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

